Mind, Body, and Soul
by Lost-Remembrance
Summary: AU: Dante has Edward. She couldn't have Hohenheim, so she settled for his golden son. Now he was all hers. Anime-verse. Different take on the end of the series. One sided DantexEd Hiatus.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Don't own FMA or any of the characters.

Note: Anime-verse. Basically a rewrite of the last episode, making it an AU.

Warning: One-sided DantexEdward, angst, H/C, violence, etc.

**Mind, Body, and Soul**

By: Lost-Remembrance

**Chapter One:**

Dante had Edward. She had wanted Hohenhein but his heart would never be hers once again after the stain of Trisha Elric tainted it. Edward was his son. He was more golden and brilliant than Hohenheim could ever hope to become. He burned as bright as the son and now, he was all hers.

Envy, her wayward "son" was hardly pleased with the decision and her command to stop his assault on what was essentially his half-brother. Alphonse Elric, so gullible and easily manipulated, was still subdued by Gluttony.

Chaos ensued. The stone was meant for Dante to jump to another body, namely that of the young girl named Rose. With the unstable nature of the stone, and the fact that Alphonse was the carrier of the stone, made her assume that the elder Elric wouldn't attempt anything. She was wrong.

With a flash of brilliant alchemy, Envy recoiled with a shriek of pain. Edward rushed forward. Dante frowned, watching as he didn't make a rush at her. She realized too slowly what was occurring before her very eyes.

His hands were already clapped, alchemic arrays streaking through his mind, as his hands hit the floor in front of his brother. Black markings flooded from his fingertips, marking the surface. Alphonse let out a shocked cry before the ballroom was filled with blinding light.

When the light fades, Dante allowed her eyes to adjust. She snarled at the sight of Edward Elric, panting on the ground where he was. In front of him, pieces of a suit of armor were scattered around the array and a smaller form. His brother's body was back from the gate.

Dante moved forward, her Sins closing ranks around the Elric brothers. Edward apparently was running low on energy, exhausted and panting as he attempted to shift his body around to face them and guard his unconscious brother.

"That was very naughty, Edward. Whatever am I going to do with you now? Or perhaps your brother… with that stone I'm sure that the gate asked for nothing in exchange. After all, he was only caught in limbo. Nothing like pulling a soul back from the other side…" She hissed, edging forward like a cat stalking her prey. Edward shuffled back only a little bit, making him closer to Al.

Dante looked down, seeing a part of Alphonse's armor at her feet. A puddle of red water remained in it, emitted alchemic power. She stooped down, grabbed the metal, and tipped it up to her mouth. She eagerly gobbled up the contents. It was nowhere near enough to jump to another body. However, it would sustain this body—Lyra—for an acceptable amount of time. Another fifty years or so would be about right. She didn't need to feel her skin to know that the aging bits were renewed.

"Pipsqueak, I'm going to enjoy this…" The look on Envy's face was positively feral.

Dante shushed him loudly. He looked furious, before lowering his head in submission to her. She moved closer to Edward, power thrumming through her veins. "I suppose I'll have to settle for the next best thing, won't I… my dear Edward." Smirking, she pulled back and snapped her fingers.

Gluttony moved forward, raising a giant fist, and with speed that defied his size, rammed it into Edward. The small teen didn't have a chance to move out of the way as he was thrown violently back into a nearby pillow. His back and head collided with the rock. He felt his ribs, already cracked and damaged from Envy's assault fold under the pressure. He let out a cough, blood spilling from his mouth as his eyes lost all sense of cognition. He had succumbed to the calling darkness, with his last thoughts of his little brother.

"Envy, be a dear and grab Edward. We had best be on our way. With all the racket, I'd be surprised if those Dogs aren't already on their way down here."

Envy looked at the two unconscious brothers. Gluttony stuck his finger in his mouth, his rampage and bloodlust quieted. "What about the younger brat?" Envy questioned.

"Leave him." Dante commanded, turning on her heel. "Hurry it up. Come Gluttony." Wrath remained on the floor where he was, a quivering bloody mess after the gate retook his stolen limbs.

"Lust… where is my Lust?" Gluttony mourned as he lumbered after Dante, fists trailing on the ground with his shoulders in a depressed slump.

Dante cast the Sin a fleeting look. "Don't worry, Gluttony." She assured, "We'll find a new Lust… a better Lust." And with that, Dante and the Sins left the crumbling ballroom with an unconscious Rose and Alphonse on the floor.

TBC

Author's note: I couldn't resist. I hope it was enjoyable and suspenseful.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's note: This chapter is dedicated to Chrosis, who kindly send me a message reminding me of the FMA fandom (Prince of Persia has only somewhat taken over my life—and Gundam Wing, but of course that is a given at all times!). Enjoy, and I hope it doesn't disappoint!

Chapter Two:

"Edward," Dante ran her fingers through silky golden blonde hair, causing the younger man to look up at Lyra's body inquiringly. "Tell me Edward, what did you do today?" It was times like these, in the afternoon with the sun shining down through the wide glass windows that Hohenheim's son seemed to glow with brilliance. She couldn't help but bask in it and reminisce of the times when she and Hohenheim spent together, talking, bonding, and feeding off the energy of one another.

Edward's presence seemed to have a rejuvenating effect on her. It was almost like a poisonous high. She couldn't stop drinking and reveling in his being. He was all hers. Sometimes, in a buzzed haze mistook him for her former lover before reality set in. A slow smirk crossed her face; but of course Edward was much better. Hohenheim had weakened over the years, his spark of life, energy, and soul seemed to mellow out. Dante was sickened by its shriveled state.

"Nothing much." Edward nonchalantly replied to her question. "I uncovered some old alchemy books in a hidden room."

Dante was quite happy to know that her little… experiment on Edward hadn't rendered him without all his memories. His mind was brilliant, and she could feel the potential and possibilities he exuded. His mind was erased, clear from all the useless rabble of Trisha Elric and his younger brother, and left as an almost clean slate for her to write upon.

Dante placed a peck on his cheek, lingering on the feeling of the touch of her skin against his. "Perhaps you will let me watch you work—I expect to be filled in on all of your research."

"Yes, Dante."

Envy always had a way of announcing his presence. His footfalls were hard and angry against the tiled floor. Dante's eyes ripped from Edward's form to the homunculi that dared to interrupt her time with Edward. There was clear displeasure on his face as well when he opened the doors to her study without announcing his presence. Her lip curled. Such a rude, conceited, violent thing.

"What?" She snapped, eyes cold and hard as she looked at the distasteful creature before her. She had no qualms about displaying such emotions before her child. After all, he needed to know his place, and that was below her.

With Edward in the equation, Envy was very vocal about his anger regarding her decision. Gluttony slinked over to the side of the room, cowering as much as he could while Dante proceeded to show Envy just who was the boss, and make such a lesson extremely clear to him.

Edward was hers now; a living, breathing, remnant of her love. Envy was a mistake. He was the real reason why Hohenheim left her. He couldn't bear the sight of him, and over the years Dante, fueled by this belief, couldn't hide the resentment towards the sin.

Envy still hadn't responded, merely looking at Edward with distaste and spite. Dante's emotions spiked. "You had better have a good reason for interrupting me during this time."

Envy turned to face her, shoulders lax, arms crossed, and feet apart in a nonchalant pose. "Gluttony's found a new Lust. Some idiot alchemist tried to bring back his dead wife." Envy gave a maniacal chuckle, "Too bad he's the dead one now. Gluttony and Wrath are on their way to pick her up now."

Dante made a pleased noise in the back of her throat. "Hopefully this one won't get a mind of her own." She reached towards Edward and tilted his chin up, making his golden eyes look at her. "I must go now and take care of some business. I will leave the new Sloth here to take care of you." She leaned forward and pressed her lips against his own, forceful and unstoppable.

When she pulled away, his eyes seemed to be less vibrant, more haunted and hollow. Inside, she frowned as she pulled away. Running her fingers one last time through his hair, she then spun on her heel and took her leave, Envy stalking her steps.

As soon as she closed the door with a snap, she turned to Envy and stared him down for a couple of minutes. He waited, expectantly. She slapped him across the face, leaving a scrape from her nails. His eyes narrowed in the slightest and his mouth twitched into a downward shape.

Dante breathed deeply for a few seconds, recollecting herself. "I am going to go and complete another dose of Edward's medicine. The last batch seems to be wearing thin. I expect you to inject him with it once I am done," she gave a pointed look at Envy, as if able to read his thoughts, "and do not hurt him any more than possible. Then you will find me and we shall take our leave to Central. I have some ingredients I need to collect…"

Envy looked less than amused at his tasks but nodded to her orders. 'The pipsqueak is nowhere near as fun now that he's basically a zombie all the time, pouring over books and ignoring almost anyone and anything other than Dante and alchemy.' Envy stopped listening to Dante and he strolled away, plotting and scheming possible upcoming events.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

Mind Body and Soul

Author's note: You can blame Chrosis for this latest update for kicking my butt into gear and (pulling me away from my recent sprees in One Piece and The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest) back into FMA. This one's for you, Chrosis! Enjoy!

Author's second note: I reread the A/N for Ch. 2 and realized Chrosis sent me a reminder email for that chapter as well! Here's a double thanks for the continuous reminder! I tend to drift through fandoms, juggling many at one time, and often wan and wax like the moon through them and others.

Chapter 3:

Sometimes, Edward felt that something was lacking, as if he was missing a piece of himself. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but when he was alone, pooling over ancient tomes and crinkling his nose as dust lifted from crinkled and aged pages, he felt as though a comforting shadow should be looming by him, just out of the corner of his eyes.

Sometimes, when exhaustion haunted his grasp and made his eyes gloss over, he thought he could see a gleaming bulky figure out of the corner of his vision. He never mentioned it to Dante, some blockade halting any words he might say to her.

Sometimes it bothered Edward that he couldn't remember life before Dante. Sure, he felt and dreamed glimpses and broken, fractured images that left his heart aching with yearn. He didn't know why or how he knew what he knew, or why it made so much sense to be able to read an entire text, understand it, apply it, and even adapt it.

During one meeting with Dante, the words came tumbling out of his mouth as he griped his head in frustration. That entire night had been a blur, as if he had drunk too much of Dante's wine. She had pet his hair, eyes soft and words sickly soothing as she whispered words of understanding, how he was a genius and a prodigy and he was just that brilliant.

Edward leaned back from where he was hunched over his recent endeavor at tackling a thousand page, hundred year old tome, regarding the more primitive practices of alchemy before it underwent the process of modernization. He ran a gloved hand over tired eyes and let the other hand pinch the bridge of his nose in hopes of halting the forming headache.

His nights were few and, dare he admit it, extremely pleasant. Dante had disappeared off into her own private alchemic lab as she was apt to do from time to time for days on end. The lab was one of the few rooms from which he was strictly forbidden to enter in Dante's glorious mansion. He didn't question the rule, although curiosity nibbled at his conscience, he was equally leery of approaching the room for fear of what he could potential find. There was a dark presence to the woman who housed him, one which sent warning bells ringing in the younger alchemist's mind.

The golden haired youth let his mind wander as he tried to formulate plans and process his thoughts to better understand the situation. Something about it sent his very being on edge sometimes, but he also knew there was no other way of life than the rather stagnant existence he found himself playing out.

Dante had been a constant in his life for as far as his memories reached. Her and the homunculi, creatures she said had no souls. He didn't need her to tell him such-few texts referenced them and the symbols they bore denoting them as such, but texts were there. And the memories-a grinning face, a smiling woman that screamed home, a curvaceous body, a military-esque man-that slammed into him before floating back under the surface from whence they came.

Edward's human hand drummed against the table lightly as he continued to muse. A frown etched into his golden countenance. He propped his automail hand onto his chin and relaxed stiff shoulders.

Dante was a beautiful woman, no doubt. She often chose to wore dark outfits and dresses that seemed to compliment her dark hair, almost lavender eyes, pale skin, and mysterious features. Her lavender eyes spoke of knowledge, but also of years beyond what she could physically experience.

The alchemist often thought it possible that she could just be like those who had old souls, where a soul simply felt as if it had experienced more than it actually had-a previous life per say, should one believe in reincarnation. Or was it possible she witnessed atrocious human acts that aged her before her years, shattered illusions of the world and reality. Still, there was a dangerous, cold and calculating aura that surrounded her...

He flushed as he continued thinking about her. His fingers stopped their drumming and clenched into a fist beside the open book. While Dante made no illusions about what she wanted, and even commanded from Edward, he still felt uncomfortable on occasions doing what she requested or ordered. Luckily, something seemed to be stopping her from shedding the inner layers of her clothing. Now, for some unknown reason, she left her under-gown on when she ordered his attentions. Although his mind screamed at him, he couldn't deny the workings of his body, and his often mechanized actions-as if he was running on autopilot.

Edward exhaled and sunk deeper into the chair. It seemed as the months dragged on, her sexual appetite seemed to wane-or at least that she was restraining herself more than usual. Edward discovered her wearing more high-collared shirts and wondered-or hoped-that it was a phase she was going through, one which would last for a long period of time. Being with Dante, his lover, didn't seem as what he had read when he stumbled upon in a fiction section of the massive mansion library.

There was something about the entire situation that seemed wrong, and the feeling was growing as the days continued. After Dante had kissed him goodnight, something sunk in his stomach like a pit. He couldn't help feeling as if there was somewhere else he was meant to be doing, something else he was supposed to be taking care of.

"Yo, pipsqueak." Edward jerked from his thoughts. Irrational anger and adrenaline rushed through him at the words and he reacted, body moving on instinct as he clapped his hands. His automail turned into a blade as he knocked the chair over and spun to face his enemy.

He blinked, unable to rationalize his behavior as he met the wide, grinning face of Envy. "Envy." Golden eyes studied the homunculi as he clapped his hands together once more and reverted his arm to it's original form. For some reason, there seemed to be some sort of glee at his reaction in Envy's dark eyes.

Envy's couldn't deny the thrill that raced through his veins at the alchemist's reaction to his typical greeting. Pre-Dante the pipsqueak would have been prepared to battle, all while shouting angrily about his height and the insult. Kid was certainly always worth a laugh. Dante Edward, as Envy had begun referring to him as, since he assumed there would eventually be a Post-Dante Edward-one that would be good for working out some of the building stress with some well placed blows-wasn't nearly as fun as Pre-Dante Edward (or how he assumed Post-Dante Edward would be).

The old bitch was holed up in her lab again, cooking up her special little recipe that scattered the blonde's brains enough that he no longer had enough sense to be repulsed by Dante's attentions and wants. He gagged at the thought and almost felt sorry for the pint-sized alchemist.

Edward was growing impatient as Envy continued to stare at him with a mixture of emotions the youth gave up trying to identify. He resisted the urge to tap his feet in annoyance, but didn't bother trying to hide it from his face. "What?" He snapped, hoping it was enough to jolt the annoyance from wherever his thoughts had taken him.

Envy slowly blinked at him and, if anything, his grin seemed at bit more forced. He spun on his feet and exited the library's double doors. He called over his shoulder, "Dante wants to see you in her sitting room." as he made his escape.

He left the alchemist there, clenching his fists by his side as he stalked and stomped his way through the large house towards a barren, dark, and distant room Dante had ordered him to.

He slammed the door to the room designated as his-something he thought of with a scowl at the thought of the love and affections his mother sent and gave to him-and turned to look at the cracked unframed mirror hanging in front of his bed. He stopped in front of it and stared his reflection down.

TBC


End file.
